For an idea of Jimmy Treybig’s significance in business and entrepreneurial history, check out the new documentary “Something Ventured.”

In the film, venture capital titan Tom Perkins recounts how he left Hewlett-Packard Co. in 1972 to form Kleiner & Perkins — widely considered the pioneering venture capital firm. At the time, the concept of getting wealthy businesspeople to pool their money to invest in unproven ideas for products and markets that didn’t exist was radical.

But for startup Tandem Computers and founder Treybig, then a 33-year-old with a little experience but many ideas, the concept was just what they needed.

Tandem, which billed itself as building computers that didn’t go down, received $1.5 million of the $6 million that Kleiner & Perkins initially raised and invested in 10 companies. The VC firm was counting on Treybig, for whom Perkins, as he recalled in the documentary, had to buy a suit and socks before presenting him to Wall Street investors and customers. Perkins said Tandem’s success was critical to his firm being able to spur the venture capital revolution.

Fortunately for Kleiner & Perkins, Tandem — launched in 1974 — became the fastest-growing company in the U.S., went public in 1977 and was bought by Compaq in 1996 — returning billions of dollars to investors and validating that investing in forward-thinking new ideas and unproven people could yield huge returns.

“Jimmy was at that crossroads in history that changed the world,” said Frank Kaplan, senior vice president of business development at NetSpend Corp., an Austin-based prepaid card company. Kaplan has been in three startups with Treybig on the boards of directors.

Friends and colleagues say Treybig has the rare ability to be both a future-focused entrepreneur and a present-focused manager, which has made him a valuable investor in and adviser to Texas startups.

“Jimmy is different,” Kaplan said. “He’s not a fund manager only looking at the immediate bottom line. He’s the guy who the fund manager has locate that diamond-in-the-rough entrepreneur and nurture him and his ideas. Jimmy realizes that people matter.”

Treybig, who was CEO of Tandem Computers for 23 years, is now a venture partner for New Enterprise Associates Inc., one of the largest venture capital companies in the world and one of the largest investors in Central Texas startups.

Treybig works out of his West Austin house in his den, lined with business books and photos of him with luminaries such as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former President Bill Clinton. It is there where entrepreneurs go to pitch their business ideas. During these pitches, Treybig said, he listens for unique ideas and looks for entrepreneurs who have diverse backgrounds, are good at listening to feedback and have the crucial ingredient: passion.

“A business plan is not a book, it’s like an opera,” Treybig said. “A business plan is to create feeling and emotion so that when it’s over, they want to give you money.”

Treybig, 72, is an active board member for established companies such as Illumitex, TabbedOut and Motion Computing, as well as for nonprofits such as Seton Healthcare Family.

“I love to learn,” Treybig said. “I really work to help people with the ideas.”

Others appreciate his approach.

“Jimmy is funny because he does have that Texas, good-old-boy demeanor, but he’s a passionate businessman,” said Michelle Breyer, president of TextureMedia Inc. in Austin and its NaturallyCurly.com website. Treybig invested in her startup and encouraged the company to think big and consider selling products directly. As a result, the company now has $4 million in revenue and 20 employees.

“He will listen to a debate at a board meeting or a presentation, and he’ll be able to authoritatively crystallize the important points and the key action items,” Breyer said. “He’s very focused. People definitely know he’s in charge.”

Treybig insists that people and communication are critical. He demonstrated this at Tandem Computers, which created an internal email and closed-circuit television network in the 1970s to facilitate communication. Treybig describes this as “horizontal communication” that enables an organization to understand customers faster, develop products faster and even develop faith in employees’ ideas faster. Tandem was also a Silicon Valley pioneer in providing stock for all employees, sabbaticals for veteran staffers, and even beer bashes and company picnics with dogs.

Tony Alagna, founder and chief technical officer of WholeSecurity Inc., recalled proposing an idea for a unique project with Microsoft and PayPal that his board of directors said was too risky. Treybig, who was Alagna’s lone supporter, guided his efforts and helped make the deal a reality.

“Jimmy is my biggest supporter, and we did many impossible things together,” Alagna said. “Jimmy Treybig is a lifeline to billions of dollars from the West Coast. Jimmy represents [New Enterprise Associates], and this town needs that. He is a lifeline to the entrepreneurs in this town.”

Gary Valdez, president of Austin-based Focus Strategies Investment Banking and a fellow Seton board member, said Treybig has both a great sense of humor and the ability to “make everyone understand serious matters.”

“He is always interactive with management teams and makes them think beyond the present situation,” Valdez said. “He is a great teacher as well as a good listener.”

Treybig continues listening to find entrepreneurs with big ideas.

“I like people who are trying to do something and understand the customer,” Treybig said. “And I don’t ever want to quit.”